Car-coupling



A.BBNTON,Sr.

GAR COUPLING.

(No Model.)

Patented Sept. 7, 1897;

W/ TNESSEJ 6 m NITE TATES ALFRED BENTON, or EASTPIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA.

CAR-COU PLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 589, 493,datedSeptember '7, 1897. Application filed May 11, 1897. Serial No. 635,981.(No model.)

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, ALFRED BENTON, Six, a citizen of the United States,residing at East Pierre, in the county of Hughesand State of SouthDakota, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Oouplers, of which the following is a full and complete specification,such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to automatic coup-- lers for cars; and the objectthereof is to provide an improved device of this class which is simplein construction and operation and by means of which separate carsprovided therewith may be automatically coupled whenever desired, afurther object being to provide a coupling device which is adapted to beconnected with the opposite ends of a car and by means of which the carsprovided therewith may be coupled whenever desired by simply runningsaid cars together.

The invention is fully disclosed inthe following specification, of whichthe accompanying drawings form a part, in which- Figure 1 is a plan viewof my improved carcoupler; Fig. 2, a similar view showing the couplerreversed and showing the parts thereof in a different position, thesetwo views being intended to show the position of the couplers whenconnected with the adjacent ends of two cars; Fig. 3, a perspective viewof my I improved coupler with part of the construction broken away, soas to better show the separate parts and the operation thereof; Fig. 1,a plan view of a movable jaw which forms .a part of the coupler, andFig. 5 a side view of a locking-bar which forms a part thereof.

In the drawings forming part of this specification the separate parts ofmy improvement are designated by the same numerals of reference in eachof the views, and in the practice of my invention I provide a carcouplerwhich consists of a bar 5, which is provided with a coupler-head 6, atone side of which is a forwardly and outwardly directed jaw 7 and at theopposite side thereof a forwardly-curved jaw S. I

Pivot-ally connected with the jaw 8, by means of a pin 9, is a movablejaw 10, which is provided with a backwardly-directed arm 11, which movesin a transverse slot or chamber 12, formed in the coupler-head 6, andall these parts are of the usual construction and form no part of thisinvention.

The rear portion of the coupling-head 6 is provided with a transverseraised'por'tion 13, and formed therein is a transverse vertical chamber1 1, which opens upwardly and which extends downwardly and communicateswith the transverse opening or chamber 12, and pivoted in one end ofsaid transverse vertical chamber 14, as shown at 15, is an arm 16, oneend of which is provided with a downwardlydirected curved extension 17,which is provided with a circular head 18, and the back of the jaw 8 isprovided with an opening 19,

which communicates with the vertical chamber 14 at one end thereof andwith the transverse chamber 12, and the arm 16 is provided with abackwardly-.clirect-ed pin 20.

I also provide a vertically-movable locking-bar 21, which passes throughthe back of the couplerhead 6 and through the raised portion 13 thereofand which is provided at its lower end with a collar or head 22, which,as shown in the drawings, is secured in place by a pin 23, but said armor head may be secured to said bar in any desired manner, and said baris provided on one side thereof with a longitudinal shoulder orprojection 22, and the upper end of said bar is provided with a plateor' head 24, the lower end of which is adapted to enter a transversechamber 25, formed in the top of the coupling-head, and said plate orhead is provided with a downwardly-directed arm 26, which is adapted torest on the bottom of said cavity or recess 27, formed insaid'couple'r-head at one side thereof, and said arm is provided at itsouter end and on the outer side thereof with a downwardlydirected lug orprojection26.

The transverse vertical chamber 14 is pref erably curved outwardly atone end thereof, as shown at 28, and the arm 16 is preferably similarlycurved, as shown at 29, and the head or plate 24 is provided with anupwardly-directed slot- 30, which is formed therein by the arm 26.

The backwardly-directcd arm 11 of the movable jaw 10 is cut away at thetop and back thereof, so as to form beveled steps or shoulders 31 and32, and the operation will be readily understood from the foregoingdescrip tion when taken in connection with the accompanying draw in gsand the following statement thereof.

In Fig. 1 the jaw 10 is shown in the position it occupies before thecars are coupled, and in this position of said jaw the bar 21 and thehead or plate 21- thereof are in their lowest position and the arm 16 isalso in its lowest position.

In Fig. 2 the jaw 10 is shown in the position it occupies when the carsare coupled,

and in this position the bar 21and the head or plate 21 thereof are intheir lowest position, while the arm 16 is in its highest posi-.

tion, and the pin 20, formed on or secured to said arm, passes throughthe slot 30 in the bottom of the head or plate 24, and supposing theparts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1 and it being desired tocouple the cars the cars are run together in the usual manner and themovable jaw 10 of the coupler shown in Fig. 2 will strike the arm 11 ofthe movable jaw 10 of the coupler shown in Fig. 1, and the arm 31 of thejaw 10 shown in Fig. 1 will be forced backwardly and will strike thedownwardly-directed extension 17 of the arm 16 and will operate to raisesaid arm, and in this operation the pin 20 will operate on the lower endof the arm 26 to raise the bar 21 and the head or plate 24: thereof, andthis operation will continue until the pin 20 passes into the slot inthe plate or head 2st. At this time the arm 16 will be in its highestposition and the plate or head 24-, together with the bar 21, will dropdownwardly, and the lower end of the bar 21 will pass in front of theend of the arm 11 of the jaw 10 and securelylock the jaw 10 and thecoupler shown in Fig. 1 in the position shown in Fig. 2, it beingunderstood that the movable jaw 10 is held in the position shown in Fig.2 by the vertically-mow able bar 21, and in this position of the partsthe jaws 10 will both be locked in the position shown in Fig. 2 and saidjawswill interlock and securely couple or connect the cars. Thevertically movable bar 21 passes through the chamber 12, and in theposition of the jaw 10 shown in Fig. 1 the arm 11 projects in front ofsaid bar, as is also shown in said figure, and the vertically-movablearm 21 is at the back thereof, and when said arm is thrown backwardly bythe jaw of the opposite coupler, as herein described, said arm engageswith the downwardly-directed extension 17 of the arm 16, as hereinbeforedescribed, and throws said arm 16 upwardly.

In the backward movement of the end of the arm 11, as above described,it passes under the longitudinal shoulder or projection 22" on thelocking-bar 21, and when said arm 21 drops downwardly said shoulder orprojection 22 passes in front of the end of the arm 11, and when the arm11 is in the position shown in Fig. 1 the shoulder or projection 22 onthe' locking-bar 21 is at the back of said arm 11 or the end thereof,and the cars are uncoupled by pulling upwardly on the head of the Itwill be understood that the locking de- 7 vice or couplers connectedwith the opposite ends of each car are precisely the same inconstruction, and it will thus be seen that I accomplish the object ofmy invention by means of a device which is simple in construe tion andoperation and which is also comparatively inexpensive while being welladapted to accomplish the result for which it is intended.

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1.. A car-con pler,comprisinga coupler-head which isprovided at each side with stationary outwardly-directed jaws, one ofsaid jaws bein g provided with a pivoted jaw, which is provided with abacluvardly-directcd arm, a vertically movable lock bar which passesthrough said couplerhead, and which is adapted to engage with said arm,an arm pivotally connected with said coupling-head and movable in avertical chamber formed therein, said arm being provided with adownwardlycurved extension which is adapted to be operated by the arm ofthe pivoted jaw, and said pivoted arm being provided with a pin whichis, adapted to operate said verticallymovable bar, substantially asshown and described.

2. A car-coupler, comprising a coupler-head which is provided at eachside with stationary outwardly-directed jaws, one of said jaws beingprovided witha pivoted jaw, which is provided with a backwardlydirectedarm, a verticallymovable lock bar which passes through said couplerhead, and which is adapted to engage with said arm, an arm pivotallyconnected with said coupling-head, and movable in a vertical chamberformed therein said arm being provided with a downwardlycurved extensionwhich is adapted to be operated by the arm of the pivoted jaw, and saidpivoted arm being provided with a pin which is adapted to operate saidverticallymovable bar, and said vertically-movable bar being provided atone side thereof, with a lougitudinal shoulder or projection,substantially as shown and described.

3. A car-coupler, comprising a couplinghead, which is provided at itsopposite sides with outwardly-directed stationary jaws, a movable jawpivotally connectedwith one of said stationary jaws, and provided with abaclcwardly-directed arm, said coupler-head being provided between saidstationary jaws with a transverse chamber into which said arm is adaptedto pass, a vertically-movable locking-bar mounted in said coupling-head,

and provided at one side thereof, with a longitudinal shoulder orprojection a pivoted arm mounted in a vertical chamber formed in saidcoupling-head, said pivoted arm being provided with adownwardly-directed extension which is adapted to be operated by the armof a jaw, and said verticallyunovable locking-bar being provided with ahead or plate at one side of which is formed a down wardly-directed arm,and said pivoted arm being provided with a pin which operates inconnection with the arm formed on said head or plate, and said head orplate being also provided with a verticalslot which is adapted toreceive said pin, substantially as shown and described.

4:. A car-coupling device which is adapted to be connected with theopposite ends of acar, said coupling device, consisting of a bar onwhich is formed a coupling-head, said coupling-head being provided atits opposite sides with outwardly directed stationary jaws, and apivoted jaw mounted in one of said stationary jaws, and provided with abackwardly-directed arm which is adapted to enter a transverse chamberformed in said coupling-head between said jaws, a vertically-inovablelocking-bar which passes through said coupling-head and which isprovided at one side with a longitudinal shoulder or projection which isadapted to engage with the arm of said pivoted jaw, an arm pivotallymounted in a vertical chamber formed in said couplinghead, and providedwith a downwardly-directed extension which is adapted to be operated bythe arm of said pivoted jaw, said pivoted arm being provided with a pin,and said vertically-movable locking-bar being provided with a head orplate in which is formed a vertical slot, said pin being adapted tooperate in connection with said head or plate so as to raise saidvertically-movable locking-bar, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 4th day of May,1807.

ALFRED BENTON, SR.

Witnesses:

OoRwIN D. MEAD, JOHN WEsTLUND.

